


I See Your True Colors

by nutmeag83



Series: Molly and Stella [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Chilling on the Sofa, F/F, Friendship, Galentine's Day, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Love, Parks and Rec love, Snow, Valentine's Day, Watching TV, and it's different meanings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-27 03:20:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13872030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nutmeag83/pseuds/nutmeag83
Summary: Stella and Molly enjoy some Galentine's Day fun with each other.





	I See Your True Colors

**Author's Note:**

> Hmmm, my second Hoopkins story, and it's another holiday ficlet. Does that mean my third one has to take place on Arbor Day or something? ;) 
> 
> Just like the previous story, this can be read as gen or pre-slash.
> 
> Story title from Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors."
> 
> And for the first time ever, I can finally say this is beta'd!! I won the awesome [partlycharlie](http://archiveofourown.org/users/partlycharlie) in the Fandom Trumps Hate auction earlier this year, and he did a great job of polishing up my fic. Any remaining mistakes are all mine. Not Brit-picked.
> 
> Enjoy!

Stella was having a shit day. She’d missed an obvious clue in her latest case, which led to the third robbery in as many weeks. It had taken a conversation with Sherlock Holmes, of all people, to figure it out. She wasn't one of the many at the Met still reluctant to deal with the self-proclaimed consulting detective, and she wasn't that bitter over his involvement, but she couldn’t help but beat herself up over the amateur mistake.

It only got worse from there, to be honest—she'd just been transferred over to the Arts and Antiques unit and was still working to prove herself outside of Homicide. For the most part, though, she was happy in her newest placement, the only major negative being that she didn’t get to see Molly much anymore.

The two had met when Stella, new to London and the Metropolitan Police at the time, had visited the morgue to look at a body Molly was working on for one of Stella's cases. They'd hit it off almost right away, but Molly had been (understandably) reluctant about becoming more than just friendly colleagues. Eventually, Stella had taken it into her own hands, leaving Molly little Advent gifts all throughout December in an effort to show her appreciation for the first friend she had met after moving to London.

Despite how close they had become, Stella still wasn’t sure why Molly seemed so down on herself all the time. She was insanely intelligent, funny, and quite pretty. She had a few odd quirks, sure, but who didn’t? Stella had come to terms with her own quirks a while ago, and now she was determined to help Molly do the same. So she’d pushed her way into Molly’s life and fervently hoped it wasn’t unwanted—she knew she could be overbearing at the best of times. For a while, after they became friends, Stella had watched Molly closely, noticing eventually that Molly did appreciate her attempts, even if she was hesitant to return the favor.

The thought of Molly raised Stella’s spirits and she felt her shoulders relax, her tense thoughts finally shifting away from her shit day. The week was over, the case finally solved, and Stella knew she'd be able to enjoy a relaxing weekend—starting with a night in with her best friend, of course. Stella was used to making friends easily, but she’d been surprised to find Molly becoming the one she wanted to spend the most time with. Stella… didn’t do best friends. She enjoyed hanging out with people, going to parties and pubs, and generally being a pretty extroverted person, but she’d never really had someone to confide in—not that she wanted to, per say.

Molly, though… Molly was so easy to talk to, and Stella found herself sharing thoughts she'd never said out loud before, almost before she thought of them. Molly sharing her close relationship with her father had Stella responding with stories about her aunt. Molly talking about her recently failed romance inspired Stella to talk about her first crush, the realization at fifteen that she wasn’t into boys, and her subsequent coming out to her family. For every story Molly told, Stella shared one of her own; and within a few months, Molly knew more about Stella than Stella’s old friends had ever learned.

Stella thought it should have scared her, but it didn’t. It felt right, natural, comfortable. Being with Molly felt fun and sweet, and she become the best friend Stella had ever had. It made her wonder if she’d really been missing out all her life, but she tried not to let herself dwell on the past. That part of her life was over, and she had Molly now, which was all that mattered.

Her suggestion—made half jokingly, though Molly didn’t seem to care—of the two of them celebrating Galentine’s Day had been met with enthusiastic approval, leading to right now—Stella walking through the beginnings of a snowstorm to meet Molly for a night of telly, cocktails, and Indian food. Molly had texted earlier, saying that they could postpone their night in until the weather was a better, but Stella had been reluctant to cancel. With her shit day behind her and a free weekend ahead of her, all she wanted was to relax and celebrate friendship with her new bestie.

Visions of tikka masala, alcohol, and _Parks and Rec_ danced in her head while she walked down the snowy pavement, and her mood was much improved by the time she reached Molly’s flat.

“Wow! What’s up with this weather?” Stella greeted her friend with a wry smile, stomping the snow off her boots before stepping inside. “We hardly get any snow this winter, and now it’s just decided to chuck it down on us all at once. Global warming, am I right?” She unwound her too long scarf (she’d got distracted while knitting it, and it had ended up longer than she’d planned) and shook off the clumps of snow that had gathered on her shoulders and hat.

Molly giggled, but the wrinkle in her eyebrows betrayed her concern as she hung Stella’s things on a free coat hook. “I told you we could have postponed this. You shouldn’t have come out in this weather.”

As if Stella wanted to be stuck home alone during a snowstorm. Snow was meant to be enjoyed with others, even if that enjoyment came from a distance, through a windowpane while they snuggled under blankets and watched funny television.

“I don’t live that far away. Plus, I love snow, so I was happy to walk in it,” Stella explained, dropping her shoulder bag on the coffee table.

“You walked the _whole way_? Stella!” Molly gave her best glower, which was more adorable than scary.

Stella shrugged. “I’d nothing else on. Even if we get snowed in, it’s not like I have to work tomorrow. Assuming you don’t mind if I crash on your couch, of course.” She gave Molly a crooked grin. “So. Happy Galentine’s Day, Molls!” She went in for a hug, something that Molly had finally grown used to.

Their first few hugs had been stiff and a little awkward, but Stella came from a family of huggers, and Molly really had no close family left, so Stella was determined to make sure she felt a little physical affection from time to time. Of course, Stella enjoyed the hugs too. Molly was warm, soft, and smelled like peaches.

“So this Galentine’s Day; it’s really a thing, not just something you made up?” Molly asked.

Stella pulled away only a little reluctantly and dug through her bag. “Oh, yes. It’s real, my friend. And you are going to join me in enjoying the love story of Leslie Knope and Ann Perkins,” she said, displaying a well-worn DVD case for Molly to see. “I still can’t believe you’ve never watched _Parks and Rec_.”

Molly shrugged. “I don’t watch a lot of fiction telly.”

Stella tsked, handing the case to Molly. This was why they were friends. Molly taught Stella about animals, and Stella schooled Molly on pop culture. “You get the first DVD set up, I’ll make cocktails.” She bounced her eyebrows and grinned before heading toward the kitchen, hauling the fixings for Aviations with her. She’d done a stint as a bartender back at uni and still loved to make cocktails when she had people to share them with.

Soon, they were ensconced on the sofa, tucking into Indian food while the wacky shenanigans of an Indiana parks and recreation department played out on the screen. It was precisely what Stella needed after a long week. She let herself relax further, enjoying the taste of curry that mixed with the tart sweetness of her favorite cocktail, while Molly giggled infectiously at the other end of the couch.

When the first series ended, neither bothered to get off the sofa to put in a new disc. Molly had just finished telling a story about her cat Toby, and they were both relaxed after a few cocktails. The room was quiet without the television’s background noise, and the snow fell quietly outside.

“Are you sad you don’t have someone for Valentines?” Molly asked quietly.

Stella thought about it. She wasn’t sure she’d ever had a girlfriend on the day of love. She’d had a few long-term relationships, but none that she could remember having in February. She shrugged. “Not really. So many people seem to be so focused on having a date for Valentine’s Day that they forget about all of the people in their lives they already love. I’m not one of those people who hates the day because of commercialism and whatnot, but– I dunno. I don’t like how card companies and shops only focus on romantic love, y’know? What about, uh, familial love? And friendship? Those relationships are arguably more important, because they’re a huge part in making you who you are. Romantic love is wonderful, and if I ever have a romantic someone to celebrate Valentines with, it’ll be nice, but I’d rather spend it enjoying the love I already have in my life rather than pining for what I don’t. I’ve got my parents, my sisters, and my work mates. And I’ve got you.”

“Oh,” Molly said quietly. She gave her patented shy smile. “I like that idea. I guess I’m one of those people who always got taken in by the whole idea of romantic love. Silly of me, I know. But I’m finally realizing I don’t need a man to complete me.”

Stella smirked. “Moving onto the ladies, then?”

Molly’s cheeks pinkened. “No. Sorry, heteronormativity. I just meant I’m done with romantic relationships for now. I can be me on my own.”

Something relaxed in Stella to hear that. She was happy for her friend, glad to see she was finally growing into her own skin, learning who she was. She couldn’t deny that she wasn’t also relieved to know Molly wouldn’t be pushing her aside for a man any time soon. She’d never begrudge Molly romantic love, but seeing as Molly was her first best friend, she was a tad possessive of her. She’d need to come to terms with that someday, she knew, but it was nice knowing they had a little time before that happened.

“So,” Stella said, grinning at her friend. “Ready for another round?”

Molly sighed and looked out the window. “Fine, but you’re definitely staying the night. I will _not_ let you walk home inebriated through a snowstorm, no matter how close you live.”

“Works for me!” Stella clambered up from the sofa and headed for the kitchen. “Put in the next disc.”

 


End file.
